HCA: Hermit Crab Association

does anyone have any recipes for a hermit crab food that will give them everything they need to live but will also last a while without expiring so pretty much a homemade store bought food that is good for them like different things mixed together such as oatmeal and fish food and etc. also is fish food safe for them

I like to keep a dish of dry food in the crabitat 24/7 and make a mix for my crabs that combines protein and calcium. When I serve it, I'll add a pinch of 10-grain hot cereal (uncooked) or unflavored oatmeal (also uncooked).

The base mix ingredients: Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend (freeze-dried mealworms, crickets and shrimp), Wardley's Hermit Crab Shrimp, cuttlebone, eggshells. Just reduce these items to a coarse powder (I use a small mortar and pestle) and store in a tightly-sealed jar.

Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend can be found at Petco and PetSmart for about $8; it's a big jar and will last for quite some time. I grind up only about 1/4 cup at a time. Wardley's Hermit Crab Shrimp can be found at Walmart for about $3; sometimes, I'll sprinkle a bit of the Wardley's over fresh fruit or veggies just to add a bit of protein. Cuttlebones can be found in any pet store in the Bird section and are easily powdered just by flaking with fingernail -- also good to sprinkle over fruits/veggies. Eggshells are always good to have around to use as serving bowls: the crabs will pinch away and consume bits of the eggshell after eating the other food! When you're making eggs, wash out the shells in hot water and air dry. I keep a stock of dried eggshell halves in a little ziplock baggie.

Hope this helps .

Crabinski wrote:I like to keep a dish of dry food in the crabitat 24/7 and make a mix for my crabs that combines protein and calcium. When I serve it, I'll add a pinch of 10-grain hot cereal (uncooked) or unflavored oatmeal (also uncooked).

The base mix ingredients: Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend (freeze-dried mealworms, crickets and shrimp), Wardley's Hermit Crab Shrimp, cuttlebone, eggshells. Just reduce these items to a coarse powder (I use a small mortar and pestle) and store in a tightly-sealed jar.

Fluker's Aquatic Turtle Blend can be found at Petco and PetSmart for about $8; it's a big jar and will last for quite some time. I grind up only about 1/4 cup at a time. Wardley's Hermit Crab Shrimp can be found at Walmart for about $3; sometimes, I'll sprinkle a bit of the Wardley's over fresh fruit or veggies just to add a bit of protein. Cuttlebones can be found in any pet store in the Bird section and are easily powdered just by flaking with fingernail -- also good to sprinkle over fruits/veggies. Eggshells are always good to have around to use as serving bowls: the crabs will pinch away and consume bits of the eggshell after eating the other food! When you're making eggs, wash out the shells in hot water and air dry. I keep a stock of dried eggshell halves in a little ziplock baggie.

Hope this helps .

Thanks this is very helpful will the eggshells expire quickly or do they last a while. Also I have eggs that are a few days expired. could I still use the shells.

biancachristensen wrote:Thanks this is very helpful will the eggshells expire quickly or do they last a while. Also I have eggs that are a few days expired. could I still use the shells.

Raw eggs are actually perfectly fine for a good 7-10 days after the posted expiration date (it's more of a "sell by" date) so the shells are just fine.

I stash a bunch of eggshell "bowls". They've sat around for a year and do not show signs of spoiling. I'm not sure the shells EVER go bad.


Crabbers unite!!!

The ukranians have an art form where the put a small hole in an egg, empty out the insides and then use colored wax to put artistic designs on it. My mom has had a couple in her china case for 30+ years...the shells are calcium based and I'm sure eventually turn to dust but go bad....no.

You can ground up a few ingredients if you would like.
Pumpkin seeds
dried carrots
dried strawberries
coconut
bloodworms or shrimp
powdered cuttlebone
worm castings

My crabs seem to enjoy this mix!

This one may be more trouble than it's worth, but I made a variation on one I found online:

1 cuttle bone
1/2 cup organic rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup organic oatmeal (uncooked)
1 Tablespoon chopped kelp
2 Tablespoons freeze dried shrimp (jumbo krill)
1 Tablespoon freeze dried blood worms (because I have some on hand, could probably leave out)
2 Tablespoons organic 100% Spirulina powder

Apply coffee grinder and serve.
The original calls for 1/4 tsp. sea salt which I thought was weird, do crabs need any in their diet?

Unfortunately I can't tell you how the crabs like it because almost all of them are molting. One has been spied munching on it though.